Li Molin carefully examined the two entrances, but could not see any difference, so he casually walked into the passage on the right.
The group of three people and three demons walked through this passage, which was even narrower than the previous one. They moved forward at a faster pace, but still carefully observed the potential dangers under their feet.
After walking seven or eight zhang through the passage, they arrived at the darkest part between the two luminous pearls. No one noticed a thin black line under their feet. So, Li Molin, who was walking in front, tripped over the black line without realizing it. The black line stretched forward, pulling the two stones that were tied to the left and right sides and embedded in the cave wall, causing them to fall to the ground with a "clatter".
Having just been attacked by poisoned arrows, Li Molin, Liu Li, and the other two demons all ran forward upon hearing the sound. Even though they ran fast, they had only covered two or three zhang (approximately 6.6-9 meters) when countless openings appeared in the cave walls on either side. With a sharp whooshing sound, these small openings spewed forth three-edged thorns, their deep purple color clearly indicating they were coated with potent poison.
Li Molin held Liuli's hand and ran in the middle. The three-edged spikes on the left were knocked down by Ji Jue and Yu Ke, and the three-edged spikes on the right were knocked down by Lang Yuan. They didn't even have to lift a finger. Ahua was even more huddled in Liuli's arms and didn't need to step forward.
Soon, the three people and three demons ran out of the range of these three-edged spikes. After running forward another five or six zhang, the road came to an end, which turned out to be a dead end.
Looking at the dead end ahead and then at the poisoned triangular thorns scattered behind her, Liuli felt a tightness in her chest. She frowned and angrily complained, "This cave is so annoying! We braved so many deadly weapons to get here, and we still can't get through!"
Li Molin looked at her sullen little face, shook his head and chuckled, "Alright, let's go back the way we came."
"Yes." Yu Ke responded, and with him leading the way, the three people and three demons turned around and walked back the way they came.
--
At this moment, one of the crisscrossing passages on the north side of the underground palace was lit up with a blue light. Liang Yihan protected Xuan Yuanhao as they ran through a long area covered by a barrage of poisoned crossbow bolts. When they reached the end, they encountered three forks in the road for them to choose from.
With Liang Yihan protecting him, Xuan Yuanhao was unharmed. However, as a pampered prince, after the search outside the mountain and the repeated attacks by hidden weapons in the cave, his legs ached so badly that he didn't want to walk at all. But when he looked at Liang Yihan ahead, he didn't want to keep complaining, so he forced himself to walk forward despite the pain in his legs.
The two took the middle path of the three forks in the road. Liang Yihan walked cautiously in front, while Xuan Yuanhao followed weakly behind.
Xuan Yuanhao paused for a moment, bending down to rub his aching knees. He looked up and saw that Liang Yihan hadn't stopped, so he quickly jogged a few steps to catch up. He turned to look at the luminous pearls embedded in the cave wall and said in a low voice, "Yihan, I grew up in the royal family, how come I've never heard of such a place? Is the Imperial Seal of the State really inside?"
While searching up and down for any possible mechanisms, Liang Yihan casually replied, "Let's try anything, even if it's a long shot."
As Xuan Yuanhao brushed the mud off his clothes, he frowned and said, "But with so many forks in the road, what if we get lost? If we stay here too long, we'll starve to death."
Upon hearing this, Liang Yihan was taken aback. He was already able to abstain from grains, so he hadn't thought of this. However, Xuan Yuanhao was just an ordinary person, and if this went on for too long, he really might starve to death here.
Liang Yihan pondered for a moment and then said, "Haozi, if you're hungry, just tell me. I'll transfer some spiritual energy to you; it should be enough to save your life..."
Liang Yihan suddenly stopped speaking before she could finish. Xuan Yuanhao asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, Yihan?"
Liang Yihan didn't answer; his eyes were fixed on one spot. Xuan Yuanhao turned to look at him and followed his gaze. There, right next to the cave wall, were two human skeletons. The skeletons were completely black, clearly indicating that they had died from poisoning.
Liang Yihan dared not go any further. He carefully examined the scene before him and muttered to himself, "There are human bones here, which means someone must have come to investigate. It must be... someone sent by Emperor Rui? Since they were able to get here, they must at least be martial artists with martial arts skills... They appear to have died from poisoning, so the traps here must have been triggered. But there are no hidden weapons on the ground, so..."
Liang Yihan looked up at the deep cave ahead, her eyes widening, and slowly said, "There must be someone guarding this cave..."
Liang Yihan examined the human bones closely. He noticed the faint golden light of Buddhist rituals emanating from them. He paused for a moment, then hesitated and said, "Someone performed rituals for them but didn't take their bodies away. It seems... to warn others?"
Liang Yihan turned to look at Xuan Yuanhao, a hint of joy on his face, and said, "Haozi, it seems that this place is most likely where the Imperial Seal of the State is hidden."
Xuan Yuanhao nodded and replied, "Alright."
Looking at Xuan Yuanhao's indifferent expression, Liang Yihan sighed helplessly, "Haozi, let alone a member of the royal family, even an ordinary person should be happy to hear about the location of the Imperial Seal. But you... you really have no interest in the throne at all."
Xuan Yuanhao rubbed his aching knees and frowned, saying, "What's the point of being an emperor? I really don't want to be an emperor. If he hadn't pushed me so hard back then, I would never have thought of rebelling against him."
“You…” Liang Yihan shook his head helplessly and said, “Let’s go.”
Xuan Yuanhao's face fell, but he nodded and said, "Okay."
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